Broken Wings
by Caroline Gottschalk Jackson
Summary: Might change the title. Anyway this is a Spot fic about how he grows out of the Newsie world. There's a battle with Queens that lands Spot in the hospital. Over time who he is changes and he grows up.
1. chapter one

The first thing he became aware of was the pain that racked his entire body. The next thing he noticed was the fact that he was lying on something that was very comfortable. He opened his eyes and blinked in attempts to clear his vision. And she was the first thing he saw.

She stood beside his bed looking at him through brown eyes. She had a huge bandage wrapped around her head that honey blond hair spilled around and her right arm was in a sling. She had bruises and cuts that tattooed her face and arms. She was small, like him, and was thin. She wore a shapeless hospital gown that hung on her shoulders. She had a startled look on her face as he peered up at her.

A moan escaped his lips as all the pain caught up to him once again. 

"You alright?" The girl asked. Her voice held worry in it as did her face. "Do you want me to go get a nurse?"

So he was in a hospital. He could have guessed that from the start if he hadn't felt like his entire body was throbbing. 

"Nah, I'se fine," He lied as he struggled to sit up in his bed. The girl made a move to help him but stopped and let him do it on his own. "Who are you'se?"

"I'm Amy Tanner…I'm in the room across the hall," She said a bit nervously. "You look like you got run over by a horse. What happened?"

He ignored the question and instead looked around the room a bit. There was another bed to his left that was, for the moment, empty. Beyond the other bed was a small window, outside was dark and cloudy. The room was plain with no sign of personal touch. It was rather bland and somewhat depressing. 

"Do you want me to leave?" Amy asked as she scooted towards the door on his right side. 

"Nah, stay." It was a command. He was used to giving commands. Amy gave him a small smile and sat down on his bed next to him. 

"What's your name?" She asked as he moved over to give her more space.

He looked at her for a moment. Most everyone knew who he was but he hadn't really expected her to know. "Luke," He replied after a moment's hesitation. "Luke Collins." He hadn't used that name in a long time and it sounded wrong coming from his mouth. 

"Nice to met you Luke," Amy said smiling. She stuck out her hand and he had to resist the urge to spit into his own hand before shaking hers. 

"Same ta you'se," Luke said smiling. He then winced. It hurt to smile. "Why are you'se here?" 

"Oh…uhh…" She hadn't expected for him to ask her that question. "Well, me and my friends were down by the docks and found this old condemned warehouse. We all got inside and…well…I was going up a staircase when it collapsed and I fell and it fell on me. What happened to you?"

"I was…in a fight." He left it at that. No need to explain the territory wars to a non-newsie. She wouldn't understand. "How long have I'se been here?"

"About a day. You're friends brought you in and stuck around for awhile. The nurses didn't seem to keen on having them around but they let them stay."

"You'se mean I'se been here a whole fuckin' day?!" He exclaimed. Amy winced and he wasn't too sure if it was his sudden outburst of anger or his course language. 

"Yes, you were out cold. I supposed they'll keep you here a few days since you were out so long. They like to make sure you don't have any serious head problems. The nurses and doctors around here are like mother hens. They're making me stay for another four days."

Luke scowled. Like hell he wasn't going to stay in the hospital for four days. Not with Queens trying to take over Brooklyn and not with his newsies without a leader. 

"I'se not gonna stay here dat long. Day can't make me." 

Amy's eyes widened a bit and a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "You just sounded exactly like my four year old cousin," She commentated, a grin spreading over her face. "How old are you by the way?"

"Eighteen," Luke said a bit coldly. He didn't take to well being compared to a four year old. Amy looked taken aback by his tone. 

"Well fine, be a baby," She said as she stood up from the bed. "Whine all you want but I for one aren't going to listen to it."  She had reached the door before Luke said anything.

"Sorry," He muttered. Amy stopped and looked over her shoulder. 

"What was that?" Her eyebrows were arched and a smile was yet again forming on her lips.

"I said I'se was sorry but if you'se gonna get all high and mighty about it dan forget it."

"Hum, well, it's late and I should be back in my own room anyway. I just wanted to see who all the fuss was about. Sleep well." With that she gave Luke a friendly smile and made her way across the hall. 

Luke glared at the door. Where did she come off by calling him a baby? He was the damn leader of Brooklyn, he wasn't a baby. He could have most anything he wanted and people would be beside themselves to go and do his bidding. He wasn't a baby, he was a damn leader. He scowled. This was all Queens fault. They were the ones who wanted to take over Brooklyn. They were the ones who started this whole war. And they were the ones who had beaten the shit out of him landing him here. In this God forsaken hospital and his only company was that girl. He slid back down into the bed. _Luke, _He thought to himself. _I'm not Luke. I'm Spot Conlon, least I haven't been Luke in a long time. _Spot's eyes fluttered shut and he dozed back to sleep. His dreams were filled with him beating the shit out of those damn newsies from Queens. 

Author's Note: Ok, well aware that this might turn out to be a Mary Sue fic. It's not like I plan it that way it just sort-a happens. I'm a diehard romantic so that's what I write about. So I guess that makes my stories Mary Sue-ish but I can't help it. Anyway there is more so it might not…so now I'm just babbling. I guess that this is a warning of sorts and if it does turn Mary Sue please give me suggestions on how to fix it. Thanks! Also as we all know I do not own anything out of the movie Newsies. So that's it! Till next time!  


	2. chapter two so orginal i know

            The next morning the Manhattan Newsies found Spot sitting up in his bed arguing loudly with a nurse about why he should be allowed to smoke in his bed. The nurse looked like she was either going to sedate Spot, smack him, or cry. She looked relieved when she spotted the newsies that were standing at the door. 

            "Oh good, visitors," She said a weary smile crossing her features. "Now don't let him smoke in his bed. Lord knows he'd burn the building down." She walked past the newsies and went into another room across the hall. 

            "Hey Spot," Jack said as he sauntered into the room. Racetrack, Kid Blink, and Mush followed in his wake. "How you'se doin'?" Spot shrugged as he lit a match and started puffing on his cigarette. He shot the Manhattan newsies a defiant look daring them to stop him. 

            "I'se been worse," Spot said as he sent a cloud of smoke into the air. "How's my newsies doin'? I hear I'se was out for a day."

            "Yeah, day's doing fine," Race said as he sat down in a chair next to Spot's bed. "I'se been stayin' over dere keepin' an eye on things. Queens hadn't made a move yet but yer newsies are itchin for a fight."

            Spot smirked. "They always are." 

            "So we'se just wanted to see how you'se was doin' and all, wanted ta make sure you'se wasn't dead or nothin'," Jack said a smile cracking across his tanned features. Spot was about to say something else when he stopped himself. Amy stood in the doorway behind the newsies. She gave him a small smile and he couldn't help but grin back. Jack and the others turned around to see what Spot was smiling at, for you see Spot rarely smiled. Amy stepped into the room holding a tin box in her free hand.

            "Hi," She said softly. "I'm Amy; I'm in the room across the hall," She slowly took another step forward. "I umm, my mom dropped some cookies off at the front desk this morning. I can't eat them all and I was wondering if you all would like any." A small blush painted her cheeks and she looked down at her feet.

            "Hn," Spot said as he looked at Amy through his piercing blue eyes. "You seem a lot quieter this morning." Amy looked up at him with a little smile on her face. She didn't have to explain that her silence was due to the presence of the other boys in the room. Spot could tell that's what it was, but to say the least he didn't really care. 

            "Sure, I'se love a cookie," Race said jumping out of his chair. "What happened to yer arm?" He asked as he took the tin from Amy and opened it. 

            "I broke my collarbone," Amy replied. She looked up at Blink and Mush. "You all are welcome to as many as you want." Blink and Mush exchanged grins before they took a handful of cookies out of the tin. 

            "Spot you'se are pretty luck to have a sweet thing like this to be in the room across from yours," Jack said as he winked at Amy. 

            "Shut up Jack," Spot snapped at the Manhattan leader. "You're charm won't work on her, besides ain't you'se wid Sarah?" Jack glared at Spot and neither of them missed the slight blush that was spread across Amy's cheeks. Spot rolled his eyes. This girl was like any other girl. Jack had this way with women. No matter how much of an ass he was he could always get them to melt into a blushing puddle. Not that Spot couldn't reduce women to the same state, but that wasn't the point. 

            "Do you'se need anything else?" Spot asked Amy impatiently. Amy's head snapped up and she sent a mini-glare in Spot's direction. "We'se kind-a in the middle of important stuff here."

            "Awww Spot don't make her leave," Blink said eying the cookie tin. 

            "Yeah she's too cute," Mush said as he wiggled his eyebrows at Amy. 

            "Stop flirting with her!" Spot said in his Brooklyn commando voice. Instantly the room became very quiet and very tense. "Leave Amy."

            Amy looked around at the boys and sighing she took her cookie tin. She tired to hide the tears that lined her vision before she scooted out of the room. In the hall the boys could hear a nurse fussing at her for being out of bed when she should be resting. No one said anything for a long time.

            "Well, I'se think we should be goin' now," Jack said finally. He glared at Spot. "You'se need to watch dat temper of yours, she was only tryin to be nice."

            "Nice? She called me a fuckin' four year old last night!" Spot said his voice icy cold.

            "Cause you act like it sometimes Spot. Da truth hurts don't it," Jack said before he left the room. Blink, Mush and Race slowly followed Jack out of the room. Race looked over his shoulder at his best friend.

            "He's right Spot," Race said carefully. "She was just tryin to be nice. You'se can be a real dick sometimes." With that Race left the room. Spot sneered at Race's disappearing form and took a long drag off of his cigarette. A scowl crossed his features as he heard his friends saying goodbye to Amy. Spot shifted down into his covers and put his cigarette out on the bedside table. He stared at the ceiling for along time before the nurse came back in and fussed at him for smoking in bed. 

            That night Spot lay in his bed somewhere between awake and asleep when he heard soft footsteps padding across his floor. He cracked his eyes open and saw Amy standing above him. She had her free hand on her hip and she was glaring down at Spot.

            "You are a real asshole you know that? I mean you where fairly decent last night and here I was thinking that maybe I was making a new friend and then you pull that little stunt."

            "You were the one who was blushing! I mean those guys flirt with anything that's female," Spot said as he sat up in his bed and glared at Amy. He failed to mention that normally he was worse, but that wasn't the point. 

            "I can't help that. I'm not used to guys paying attention to me like that. I'm not that pretty and I know it. So it's not like I can help it," She sighed. "I just came to tell you that you don't have to worry, I won't bother you any more. I just…" She sat down in the chair next to his bed, and rubbed her left hand across her eyes. "No one comes to see me and you even had people when you were knocked out. I just wanted some company. But I won't bother you anymore, or your friends." Amy stood up slowly and began to walk towards the door.

            "Wait," Spot say sighing. "Damn you girl I'se can't stand to see girls cry. Come here." Amy carefully walked back towards Spot and stood next to the bed. He took a deep sigh and looked away from Amy. "I…I'se sorry," He said as he looked out the window. A smile broke out across Amy's face and she sat down on the bed. 

            "Promise that you won't do it again?" 

            "Yeah," Spot said as he glanced up at Amy. "Just don't tell da guys dat I'se being so nice and all. It'd ruin my reputation and all." 

            Amy bit back the laughter that threatened to escape. "I promise. You know you're not as tough as I thought you were." Amy's eyes went wide as Spot glared at her. Her left hand flew over her mouth to hide her grin. "I mean…" 

            "Say dat to anyone and I'll murder you'se I swear," Spot said the corners of his mouth tugging up into a small smile. 

            "Right, I would like to live. I'm only sixteen and all. I still haven't done millions of things I want to do." 

            "You'se ok kid," Spot said smirking. Amy blushed in the dark and hoped that Luke couldn't see it. Even though she didn't know him very well she could tell that it was hard to get a complement from him. She snuggled down on the bed so she was lying next to Luke.

            "Will you tell me about yourself?" Amy asked as she closed her eyes. 

            Spot tensed at the question. In general he didn't like talking about himself, well, talking about who he was beyond his Brooklyn front. He looked over at Amy. She lay there content and peaceful. Her face seemed happy under all the bruises that were scattered across her face. 

            "Sure," Spot said finally. "What do you'se wanna know?"

            "Everything," Amy said. Her voice came out as a sigh.

            "Well, I was born over in Ireland but me and my parents came ova here when I'se was real little. I'se don't 'member the boat ride ova or any of dat stuff. All I 'member is standin' in lines once we'se got here. We'se moved ta Brooklyn once we got through all da lines and stuff. Me mom got real sick one winter when I was five and died. Not too long after dat me dad died and I'se went to live wid another Irish family near-by…."

            Spot's voice trailed on and slowly they both fell asleep. Spot nestled under the blue and white blankets on the hospital bed and Amy snuggling up against Spot. The night nurse almost had a conniption fit when she found Amy's bed empty. And she almost had another one when she found Amy in Spot's bed. 

Author's note: Ahha! Another chapter done! W00t! I'm on a roll here. I wrote one chapter for an anime story I'm doing and then this thing. OK, so hoping that it's not turning Mary-Sue trying really hard, but if it does turn into one I figure it's ok. I'm writing this story for myself. I guess that sounds selfish or something but I think that a writer should only write for themselves and write what they want. It's hard to explain but if you know what I'm talking about then you should understand. Hopefully I'll get another chapter done soon! Also don't forget to review!       


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